Retail stores are continually challenged to make the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for their customers, to keep up with the ever-changing practices or habits of their customers and to abide the changing and non-uniform regulations imposed by local municipalities, states and the federal government, as well as those of foreign jurisdictions for international retailers. One example of this is the current movement toward use of reusable shopping bags for retail store purchases. Some jurisdictions have gone so far as to ban single-use plastic bags from retailers such as big box stores, groceries and the like, thus, essentially mandating use of reusable shopping bags.
Another example of this relates to more technologically savvy customers who utilize handheld electronic devices during their shopping. Such use may simply be the result of customers multitasking, while in other instances it may be directly related to the shopping experience (e.g., use of mobile devices to do competitive price checks, use of mobile devices to scan product as it is placed in the shopping cart and thereby expedite checkout, etc.).
One common problem in both of these exemplary situations is the difficulty consumers have in placing products directly into shopping bags while using a vehicle, such as a shopping cart, to roam the retail store. Various attempts have been made to address this problem, but these attempts typically create more hassles or problems than the general consumer/customer wants to face when conducting their shopping. For example, some require the use of special carts that must be brought to and from the retail store by the consumer. Others require the use of special bags even more unique than the typical reusable shopping bag that may or may not work depending on the type of carts used at the retail store.
Accordingly, it has been determined that a need exists for an improved apparatus for holding containers, such as shopping bags, open within a cart and for improved methods relating to same.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.